Miss Venezuela Dayana Mendoza, an interior designer, was named Miss
Universe 2008 today, after outperforming and outsmarting 14 other young women in
the final round of the 57th pageant held in Vietnam's central Nha Trang city.
Mendoza, 22, said she likes design, photography, advertising and wave
surfing. The Venezuelan girl with the height of 1.78 meters can speak Spanish,
Italian and English.
Miss Universe 2007 Riyo Mori handed over the crown worth US$120,000 to
Mendoza, who will continue Mori's work of traveling around the world to promote
education and HIV/AIDS research.
The first runner-up is Miss Columbia Taliana Vargas (20 years old, 1.78
meters in height), the second Miss Dominica Marianne Cruz (23 years old, 1.81
meters), the third Miss Russian Vera Krasova (20 years old, 1.77 meters), and
the fourth Miss Mexico Elisa Najera (21 years old, 1.83 meters). Miss Universe
Vietnam, singer Nguyen Thuy Lam, was among Top 15.
The 15 contestants, selected from 80 candidates worldwide, competed for the
Miss Universe in a grand show, which was live televised to 170 countries and
regions, with exciting performances of the beautiful women in swimsuits and
evening gowns, and their quick responses to the judges' questions.
Before appearing on the stage, the candidates, including the 15 finalists
actively participated in social activities, especially charity works, in some
Vietnamese localities.
